Rich Roman Route

Get on your bike and discover the history of the countless churches, chapels and monasteries

North Brabant and therefore Roosendaal have a rich Roman past. Not so long ago, almost all residents were Roman Catholic. In the 19th and 20th centuries, a religious landscape emerged here with countless churches, chapels and monasteries, many of which you can still admire today.

The Church of Our Lady on the Quay was built in 1868 in a mixture of styles, both neo-Romanesque and neo-Byzantine. The dome and rear section were added in 1909. The Redemptorist Fathers, who gave popular missions and retreats from the church from 1874, left in 2003, after which the church, monastery and garden were restored. Today it is a parish church. The church can be visited on Saturday afternoons during the summer months. Be sure to take a look at the Paterstuin located behind the church.

Oudenbosch owes a lot to the nineteenth century pastor Willem Hellemons, also a member of the Order of Cistercians. The brotherhood of Saint Louis, which he founded, built a large chapel. Hellemons also convinced architect Pierre Cuijpers to design the Basilica of Saints Agatha and Barbara in neo-Baroque style. This is a reduced copy of St. Peter's with the front of the church of St. John Lateran in Rome.

Pierre Cuijpers was also the architect of the former major seminary Bovendonk in Hoeven. It was built in the neo-Gothic style customary for the master builder and completed in 1908. This was originally a country residence of the Abbey of Saint Bernards and later of the Bishop of Antwerp.

The church of Saint John the Baptist in the village of Hoeven was built in the years 1928-1929 according to a design by the Breda architect JH Berben in a mixture of traditional and expressionist styles. The building is no longer used as a church today. Next to the church is the parsonage from 1951, designed by Jacques Hurks.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Bosschenhoofd was built in 1927 by W. te Riele to replace an older church from 1886. After war damage, the church was provided with a new facade and tower in traditional style by Jacques Hurks in 1946.

The village of Zegge has been known for centuries as a Marian pilgrimage site. Both the Maria Boodschapkerk (1911) and the chapel (1922) were designed by the Breda architect Jacques van Groenendael.

At the Roman Catholic cemetery on the Bredaseweg in Roosendaal, in addition to the monumental graves of mayors, aldermen and famous families, you will also find other striking Roosendal residents. The Roosendaal soldiers who died in the Second World War rest in their own courtyard. The 38 English fighters who died in the battle for Roosendaal also found their final resting place here. The civilians who died in the bombings and shelling are buried on the war field at the Calvary in the cemetery. The cemetery was in use for more than a hundred years from 1870 onwards.

The Mariadal Monastery in Vincentiusstraat was built for the Franciscan Sisters in 1934 by the architects Franciscus Sturm (monastery) and Joseph Cuijpers (chapel). The large walled monastery garden has a geometric path pattern and both the wall and the monastery are classified as national monuments.

The Mariagaard courtyard is located in the Nieuwstraat in the center of Roosendaal. The small houses around a square with a chapel were built in 1938 according to a design by architect A. van Hees in the style of the Delft school. In 1617, Maria van Wasservas, the predecessor of Mariagaard, founded a so-called almshouse as a shelter for poor, old women.

The St. John the Baptist Church, better known locally as St. John's Church, was built between 1836 and 1839 in a neoclassical style, incorporating the old tower from the 15th century. A first chapel was founded on this site earlier in 1268. In 2003 the church was withdrawn from worship. For centuries, until 1979, the church was served by the Norbertine fathers from the abbey in Tongerlo. These so-called whitemen resided in a parsonage on the Molenstraat, a building that is now used as a Tongerlohuys heritage centre . The origins of this national monument date back to the 16th century, but the building largely acquired its current appearance in 1762.

For the shortened route, follow junctions 84 and 54 from junction 80. From 54, take the route again towards junction 71.